Brunner started all four sets for Verona while his teammate U.S. outside hitter Paul Lotman (Lakewood, Calif.) played as a substitute but did not score. Holt substituted in two sets and started the fourth for Piacenza and scored four points on three kills and an ace.

U.S. outside hitter Sean Rooney (Wheaton, Ill.) suffered his first loss with his Italian team Acqua Paradiso Monza Brianza on Oct. 31 as it fell to Lube Banca Marche Macerata, 25-22, 25-28, 25-21 in Monza. Rooney started all three sets and led his team with 13 points on 13 kills (0.38 hitting percentage).

Russia

Zenit Kazan, featuring Lloy Ball (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and outside hitter Reid Priddy (Richmond, Va.) went on a road trip and won two more matches in the past week, to remain undefeated at 3-0 in the Russian Super League.

Priddy started all five sets and scored 13 points on 12 kills (0.42 hitting percentage) and one block. Ball also stated all five sets and scored eight points on two kills, a team-high five blocks and one ace.

On Nov. 3, Kazan defeated Lokomotiv-Belogorie Belgorod, 25-17, 25-21, 25-21. Priddy scored nine points on eight kills (0.32 hitting percentage) and one block. Ball had four points on one kill, one block and two aces.

U.S. setter Kevin Hansen (Newport Beach, Calif.) and his Russian team Fakel Novy Urengoi have won its last two matches in the Super League. On Oct. 31, Fakel beat Yaroslavich Yaroslavl, 3-1 (25-13, 16-25, 25-20, 25-20). Hansen started all four sets, scoring two points on one kill and one ace. He also set his team to a 0.53 hitting percentage.

On Nov. 4, Fakel defeated Dynamo Krasnodar, 3-1 (22-25, 25-15, 25-23, 25-21). Hansen scored one point on a kill and set his team to a 0.42 hitting percentage.

U.S. opposite Clay Stanley (Honolulu, Hawaii) and his team Ural Ufa won their first match of the season on Nov. 3, defeating Dynamo Moscow, 25-23, 25-23, 25-23. Stanley led all scorers with 13 points on a match-high 11 kills (0.42 hitting percentage) and two blocks.

On Oct. 31, Ufa fell to Gazprom-Ugra Surgut, 3-2 (23-25, 25-22, 20-25, 25-22, 15-7). Stanley led his team with 24 points on 16 kills (0.36 hitting percentage), three blocks and a match-high five aces.

U.S. middle blocker David Lee (Alpine, Calif.) and his Russian team Kuzbass Kemerovo have lost their last two matches.

On Nov. 4, Lamia fell to AO Kifisias, 25-21, 25-16, 25-16. Price started all three sets and led Lamia with 13 points on 12 kills (0.63 hitting percentage) and one ace. Hein started all three sets and scored seven points on four kills (0.67 percent), two blocks and one ace.

Iraklis Thessoloniki, the Hellenic League team of U.S. opposite Brook Billings (Santa Barbara, Calif.) and outside hitter Ryan Jay Owens, lost its Oct. 31 match to AO Kifisias, 3-1 (25-20, 26-24, 19-25, 25-19). Billings started all four sets and led his team with 14 points on 12 kills (0.27 hitting percentage) and two block. Owens started all four sets and scored eight points on eight kills (0.33 hitting percentage).

However Iraklis came back on Nov. 4 to defeat Olympiakos Piraeus, 3-1 (33-31, 25-23, 23-25, 25-14). Olympiakos is the Greek team of U.S. outside hitter Jayson Jablonsky (Yorba Linda, Calif.).

Billings started all four sets for Iraklis and led the team with 19 points on 17 kills (0.47 hitting percentage), one block and one ace. Owens added 15 points nine kills (0.50 hitting percentage), four blocks and two aces. Jablonsky started all four sets for Olympiakos and scored eight points on eight kills (0.42 hitting percentage).

Another U.S. player on a Greek team to note is Kris Berzins, who is the son of 1984 Olympic gold medalist Aldis Berzins, and is playing for Panellinios Athens.

POLAND

U.S. middle blocker Ryan Millar (Alpine, Utah) started all five sets and scored 10 points as his Polish team Asseco Resovia Rzeszów defeated Jastrzębski Węgiel on Nov. 3, 3-2 (16-25, 25-20, 17-25, 25-20, 15-12. Millar scored on five kills and five blocks.

GERMANY

U.S. outside hitter Scott Touzinsky (St. Louis, Mo.) substituted in three sets and started the fourth, scoring two points on one kill and one ace as his German league team SCC Berlin defeated evivo Düren, 3-1 (23-25, 25-22, 32-30, 25-23) on Nov. 3.

SCC Berlin is leading the German league.

SPAIN

U.S. middle blocker David Smith (Saugus, Calif.) is back with Unicaja Almeria this season and the team is 2-1 after three matches in the Spanish League.

Smith was named an “outstanding player” in the third round as Almeria defeated Cajasol Juvasa 3-1 (32-34, 25-23, 25-20, 25-16) on Nov. 4. Smith scored 14 points on eight kills (0.62 hitting percentage), five blocks and one ace.